The White House, one of the most iconic buildings worldwide, has served as the official residence and workplace of the US President for more than 200 years. Newly elected President Donald Trump will live in the White House with his family in January next year. The 78-year-old defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the November 5 election.
A question that keeps revolving again and again is why is this famous building called “The White House”? While many believe that this must be due to its white color, this does not entirely explain the reasoning.
war of 1812
There is a misconception that the building was first painted white to hide the marks left by British soldiers who burned it on August 24, 1814, two years after the war began.
An often told story suggests that the building was painted white to hide these marks. Although this sounds like an interesting story, it is not true.
The color of the White House has been white since the beginning when the first US President George Washington selected the site for the White House in 1791. Its foundation stone was laid the following year and it was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban. After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife Abigail became the first people to live in it – although it was still incomplete at the time.
According to the White House Historical Association, the building was painted with lime-based whitewash in 1798 “to protect the sandstone exterior from cracking during the moisture and cold of winter.”
official name
Although the building initially had no official name, the term “White House” was sometimes used by many in the nineteenth century, in addition to other names such as “President’s House” and “Executive Mansion”.
The term became official on October 17, 1901, when George Cortelyou, secretary to then-US President Theodore Roosevelt, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Hay.
On Roosevelt’s instructions, the official was asked to change the title or date line of all official papers and documents requiring the President’s signature, from ‘Executive Mansion’ to ‘White House’.
Since then, ‘The White House’ has been the official name of the US President’s residence, which after several expansions now has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms as well as six levels.
